Providing Free Education To Children Of Labourers, Sana Parveen Is Giving Them A Future

IWB Post

June 12, 2018

Until a few years ago, children of tannery laborers just wandered in the suburb of Jajmau in the leather city of Kanpur. But today many of them attend school, getting their uniform, stationery, bags, and shoes, free of cost all thanks to 20-year-old Sana Parveen.

Sana, a graduate from Kanpur University, was bothered by the lack of education that the children were facing as it leads to them talking in a crude language, hurling abuses at each other. So, Sana decided to speak talk with the parents who worked as tannery laborers to send the kids to school. But her good intentions were met with strong resistance, anger, and humiliation.

Parents were against sending their kids to school simply as by sending their children to work at the tannery, an extra minimum daily wage of Rs 200-400 would be earned, alleviating their financial burden. For them, school was a financial investment that would have to monetary returns.

But dead set on fulfilling her mission, Sana decided to give these children education free of cost and transformed her own home into a school. Her father, Naushad, also helped her in convincing the families and soon students started joining in.

In 2015, they raised a brick wall in their house and turned a small part of their house into a classroom which accommodates over 80 kids, from playgroup to Class 5 with Sana, her father Naushad, and her teammates, Zainab and Najo, as teachers.

They get uniform, stationery, bags, and shoes, for free from the money raised through donations from locals and good Samaritans.

“The area I am residing and working in is very backward vices. I truly believe education is the only thing that can pull them out and transform their lives. I want to help them become better and responsible citizens of the country. We have children from all religions and castes studying here. Most of them are extremely underprivileged. So, all it required for me to convince their parents to send them to school was a free education,” said Sana.